The school only teaches one child, where the teaching and learning approaches match, if not the case, the learners remain mediocre.

Just as it is important to know children by age, it is also important for both parents and teachers to know the child’s learning approaches. Usually, the learning approaches are categorized as;

1. Visual learners
2. Auditory learners
3. Kinaesthetic learners

Visual learners learn by looking at things, for example, pictures, videos, and diagrams play an important role in their learning. Some children are auditory learners who learn through sounds. Similarly, some children learn through the kinesthetic method, by experiencing or doing things practically.

The issues with our schools are that they teach only one child. Where the teaching style matched the learner’s style, the child performed well, however, those whose learning style did not match the teacher’s style, at last, dropped the school. The majority of weak learners in middle and upper grades are a result of this phenomenon.

A high school dropout from Sialkot, Pakistan, built and flew a plane. It demonstrates that the child who was failed by our educational system was a bright student. But where did the problem arise that our school and examination systems are only for one-way learners, and no attempt is made to teach other children? Also, schools don’t have enough resources to make it possible.

It is important to recognise that the teaching approach must be aligned with the learner approach. If the teacher does not reach the student’s learning style, the learner will be mediocre. Teaching skills are the heartbeat of teaching. We are living in an age where we must rethink this. We should provide everyone with a good learning and competitive environment.

A few days ago, I was among children who had not yet started school. They started asking serious questions when they mingled with me. Some of the questions were also confusing. What is your name, uncle? Uncle, where do you live? Uncle, what colour is the exterior of your house? Do you drive this car, uncle? Likewise, I have a young niece who asks a lot of questions and comes up with a new one after each answer. When children ask me these kinds of questions, I think about how creative our children are, and when they come out of these institutions, they can’t think or ask questions.

We must reform our education system, particularly the examination system if we want our nation to be innovative, productive, and successful in science and literature. If we do nothing and do not create a good education system for our kids, we will continue to produce PhD doctors who will be unable to formulate a single issue.